


Something's off with Abed

by BexYZ



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Getting Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27917998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BexYZ/pseuds/BexYZ
Summary: Abed's being a little weird. Everyone notices.
Relationships: Annie Edison/Abed Nadir
Comments: 12
Kudos: 73





	Something's off with Abed

Troy was the first to notice something.

They were getting ready to watch a new episode of 'Inspector Spacetime' when Troy turned and addressed his friend.

“Hey Abed?”

“Yeah Troy?”

“Are you mad at me?”

Abed leaned forward and looked at his best friend in confusion. He tried replaying the past few hours to see if there had been any indicators that their relationship was damaged in some way, and couldn’t identify any event that would cause Troy’s current insecurity.

“Of course not. Why do you ask?”

Troy looked a little relieved. “Well, you’re always letting Annie pick the movie we watch and not me. I thought maybe I’d done something to offend you.”

Abed sat back in his chair and turned his eyes back to the television. “Annie is in a better mood if she gets to choose what we watch at least once or twice a week. I was letting her pick for the good of the apartment.”

Troy grinned and relaxed back into his own seat. “The good of the many outweighs the good of the one. That makes total sense. Thanks, Abed.”

Abed quietly let out the breath he’d been holding. “Yeah. Anytime, Troy.”  
___  
Abed and Troy were sitting across from Jeff and Pierce in the cafeteria booth when Shirley arrived with her tray. 

“Abed, sweetie, would you mind moving your bag?” she asked in her sweetest voice. The other three men were busy ranking the Bond girls using a decidedly disgusting rating system and she was trying to ignore them.

“That’s Annie’s spot,” Abed told her.

Shirley raised her eyebrows at him. “I didn’t realize we had assigned seats,” she said in a decidedly less sugary tone.

“Britta has class first, so it doesn’t really matter where she sits. I have to leave for AV Club before your next class, so we would all have to shift around when it was time for me to leave. Annie has class before me so it’s more efficient for you to sit next to Jeff or Troy and then nobody has to let anybody else out.”

Shirley fixed him with a suspicious gaze. “Well, if it’s more ‘efficient’...” she finally said skeptically and took the place opposite him in the booth before Troy’s wide-eyed expression stole the attention of everyone at the table.

“I just got why it’s called ‘Octopussy’!”  
___  
“I really need some new summer clothes,” Annie complained to Britta while the group, as usual, waited for Jeff to arrive.

“We should go shopping this weekend!” Britta said.

“And though I’m sure my invitation is immediately about to follow,” Shirley added, “I’ll go ahead and say that I’m spending Saturday afternoon with my boys. Just don’t go changing Annie and encouraging her to buy all kinds of those micro-miniskirts or barely there short shorts or whatever it is they are selling now to attract the attention of wanton young men.”

Annie rolled her eyes. “I am an adult, Shirley. I can wear short shorts if I want to.”

“I have no idea what we’re talking about, but I agree,” Jeff said as he took his usual place at the table.

“Clothes can be a means of female empowerment, Shirley,” Britta added. “It shouldn’t be a woman’s job to cover herself up just because men can’t control their own thoughts and actions. And besides, Annie has great legs.”

“I think you should go empower some women, Annie,” Abed added in a tight voice. “I forgot, I have to go meet Garrett to set up some cameras for the dean’s new project,” he added as he gathered his things and ran out.

“That was weird, right?” Troy asked. “I mean, since when does the dean trust Garrett with camera placement? He’s usually on audio.”  
___  
The group was leaving a surprisingly fun and normal movie night at Pierce’s house when an unseasonable wind blew their hair and tugged at their clothes. Jeff threw a casual arm around Britta as she grumbled against the cold. Annie shivered and Abed removed his usual sweatshirt and put it around Annie’s shoulders. She smiled up at him as the group started to pile back into Shirley, Jeff, and Troy’s vehicles. 

Jeff raised his eyebrows at them as Annie ducked into the backseat of Troy’s car, Abed holding the door open for her. Abed evenly returned Jeff’s look as he shut her door.

“Yes, Jeff?”

“That’s a pretty common rom-com trope. Checking off some new bucket list?”

“Sure.”

“Sure.” Jeff repeated. “Good night, Abed.” Jeff stared at the other man, as if trying to read the thoughts behind his generally impassive expression.

“Night, Jeff.”  
___  
After a few more weeks of small gestures, stolen looks, and odd comments, the group was carefully studying Abed and his attention to Annie.

“Is it just me, or is the group acting super weird today?” Annie laughed awkwardly at him one day when the others yet again begged off a study session, leaving them alone in the study room for the third time in as many weeks.

“You really haven’t noticed anything before today?” Abed asked her curiously.

“Hmm...um. No?” she said, shuffling her notes and not meeting his eyes.

“No?”

“No. I haven’t, uh, noticed them trying to leave us alone together or giving us weirdly specific amounts of time they will be gone or them mouthing words back and forth and then staring at us. Totally haven’t seen anything like that.” she said unconvincingly. 

“Well, then I guess you haven’t noticed me staring at you too? Or trying to sit next to you? Or walking you to your classes even when mine are in the opposite direction?” he was watching her intently now. 

“I only noticed if you noticed me watching extra episodes of ‘Cougar Town’ with you just so I could fall asleep on your shoulder without needing an excuse. Or that I’ve forgotten to give back the sweatshirt you let me borrow after Pierce’s party.” She peeked across the table through her hair and saw he wasn’t there anymore. He’d already walked around the table and was standing next to the empty chair on her right.

“You can keep it. If you want.” He reached out to still her hands that were still blindly shuffling through the papers in front of her and threaded his fingers through hers.

Her blue eyes looked up through long lashes and met his deep brown ones. “You won’t miss it?” she asked shyly.

“It looks better on you.” Then he quirked the corner of his mouth and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “so do those new shorts you bought.”

She flushed but managed to choke out, “Just trying to empower my fellow women,” before she couldn’t speak any more. His mouth covered hers and she let go of his hand to move hers to the back of his head, holding him close. He placed his own on the small of her back and pulled her against him as a small sound escaped from the back of her throat.

He broke away to meet her eyes and smiled a small smile she recognized as a huge grin on anyone else. She grinned big enough for both of them.

“Aww!!!” they heard from the study room door. Britta, Shirley, and Troy had poked their heads around the door all three squealing in a register Annie didn’t realize Troy could even hit. Jeff nodded to Abed who smiled back. Pierce looked over everyone and then back down at his phone before he said “I told you she was the one Ay-bed wanted to nail.”

“Ugh, Pierce!” most of the group groaned back.

Abed and Annie just ignored him. For once, they didn’t care if Pierce was right.

**Author's Note:**

> More fluff. Comments/constructive criticism welcome as always. :)


End file.
